The Washington Redskins might play the same game of dare with the Green Bay Packers the Chicago Bears played last week. Chicago came back to defeat the Packers on Sunday in part because it played the entire second half in the Tampa-2 zone defense that dared the Packers to run the ball, which coach Mike McCarthy did without the slightest success. Washington is coming off an impressive 34-3 win over the Detroit Lions in which the Redskins' talented secondary shut down Detroit playing almost exclusively zone coverage, much of it the Tampa-2-type scheme. So, coach Mike McCarthy again might have to decide whether to stick with conventional wisdom and attack a seven-man front with the run even though that part of the Packers' offense has been unreliable for nine of 10 halves this season and failed to come through in last week's loss, or stick with the short-to-intermediate passing game that helped the Packers win their first four games, albeit in a scarily unbalanced, pass-oriented game plan. Either way, it figures to be a difficult game against one of the NFL's most-improved teams and a defense coordinated by the NFL's highest-paid assistant coach, Gregg Williams. The Redskins go into Sunday ranked third in the league in fewest yards allowed and tied for third in fewest points allowed.

The 4-1 Packers and 3-1 Redskins arguably are the two most surprising early-season winners in the NFL going into Sunday's game at Lambeau Field. The Packers, though, are coming off their worst half this season, a 98-yard, three-point effort in the second half of their loss to the Bears, whereas Washington is coming off a dominant 60-minute performance. McCarthy will be looking to recapture the rhythm of the previous three games, or of the Packers' 341-yard performance in the first half against the Bears. But this week he'll face probably the best defense the Packers have seen. Washington, which finished last season ranked 31st in yards allowed and 27th in points, has turned around defensively because of the return to health of starting cornerback Shawn Springs, the addition of free agent London Fletcher at middle linebacker and the drafting of the talented LaRon Landry at safety with the sixth overall pick in this year's draft.

The Redskins' starting secondary consists of four players taken in the top 10 of their drafts: Springs (No. 3 overall in 1997) and Carlos Rogers (No. 9 in 2005) at cornerback, and Landry and Sean Taylor (No. 5 in '04) at safeties. That draft status alone doesn't make them good players, but it's an indication at least of physical talent, and the resources coach Joe Gibbs has put into building his defense — Springs was a free-agent signee in '04. Also, the Redskins' nickel back is free agent Fred Smoot, who started at cornerback for Washington from 2001 to 2004, then played the last two seasons for Minnesota. If McCarthy returns to a more ball-control passing game this week, he'll be doing it against a better secondary than the Packers faced in their wins the first four weeks: Philadelphia, the New York Giants, San Diego and Minnesota. The Redskins also are solid in the front seven, with the 32-year-old Fletcher a surprisingly dynamic defensive quarterback at middle linebacker, and another linebacker, Rocky McIntosh, who is becoming a standout in his second NFL season.

With Favre playing well (97.3 passer rating) and having three quality receivers (Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and James Jones), along with regularly throwing to his tight ends and halfbacks, the Packers have the top-rated passing game in the NFL in yards per game. McCarthy, who aspires to a ball-control run game that can function well as the weather turns bad, has to decide how much of the game he's willing to put in a running attack that's been unreliable through five games.
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The Green Bay Packers hope Brett Favre can maintain his perfect record against the Washington Redskins as they look to bounce back from their first loss when two of the NFC's improving teams meet Sunday at Lambeau Field. Green Bay (4-1) failed to remain undefeated after a 27-20 home loss to Chicago last Sunday night as Favre threw two second-half interceptions and the NFC North-leading Packers blew a 10-point halftime lead. The Packers, who had an eight-game winning streak snapped, will try to rebound against Washington (3-1), which rolled to a 34-3 home win over Detroit last Sunday and is second to unbeaten Dallas in the NFC East.

With an emerging Jason Campbell at quarterback, Washington looks to avoid a fourth straight loss to Green Bay dating to a 20-17 victory at Lambeau Field on Oct. 23, 1988. Favre is 3-0 as a starter against the Redskins with Green Bay outscoring Washington 95-23 in those meetings. The Packers hope that holds up Sunday as they continue to try to prove they are serious contenders despite falling to the rival Bears. "I fully understand how this works," Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. "We were glorified for four weeks, and now they get it this week, and they deserve it. But we need to clean our own house right now. It's sloppy and we need to get it cleaned up." Favre is 51-for-77 for 614 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions as a starter against Washington. He threw for 289 yards, but also had three interceptions in a 28-14 win over the Redskins on Oct. 31, 2004 in the teams' most recent meeting. Though Favre leads the NFL with 1,527 passing yards and has the Packers on the verge of their first 5-1 start since 2002, he's coming off his worst outing of the season. He was 29-for-40 for 322 yards, but was 10-for-18 for 79 yards in the second half. His third-quarter interception led to a Bears' touchdown on the next play as Chicago scored the final 17 points of the game.

"We got out of a rhythm," said Favre, who has 277 career interceptions to tie George Blanda for the most all-time. "It just wasn't clicking." Green Bay committed five turnovers and had just 19 of its 121 rushing yards in the second half. Despite that success, Green Bay is averaging 67.6 yards on the ground to rank 31st in the league. The Packers could face a bigger challenge Sunday against a Washington defense that is third in the NFL, allowing 268.0 yards per contest. The Redskins held Detroit's high-octane offense to just 142 yards. Washington also hopes for another strong game from third-year quarterback Campbell. Last weekend, Campbell, who grew up 100 miles from Favre's hometown in Mississippi and idolized the future Hall of Famer, finished 23-for-29 with a career-high 248 yards and two touchdowns. Campbell hopes to have receivers Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El back in the lineup as the Redskins look to start 4-1 for the first time since 1999. Moss missed last week's game with a groin injury and Randle El could be a longshot since leaving last Sunday's game with a hamstring injury after catching seven balls for 100 yards. The Redskins are 4-9-1 all-time at Green Bay.

I'm sorry, evan as a Packer fan for over 50 years, I have to go with the Skins "D" in this one.
McCarthy coaches scared.
He wouldn't kick to Hester giving the Bears great field position and he didn't put the ball in Bretts hands in the second half against the Bears.
Mike will get over his fear but not until after the Pack is 4-2.

I was more scared about this game than I was about the Bears. I chose the Packers by a field goal. I hope this will be close but not too close. I am pulling for the Packers to get it clicking this week.

Packers need a statement game as it was with the Bears when they came in against the Packers.

They had a similar situation vs the Eagles and squeaked by. With the aerial attack in full swing, a 10 point win is possible and Though Packer defensive stats may not represent the strength of the total defense, the points allowed stat does.

The question here is how good is the Redskin Offense? Is it good enough to score 27 points or so? If not, Packers will win this.

Crosby will miss a game winning field goal at the end, but gets another chance because Gibbs will call a timeout right before the snap.

Packers 17
Skins 16

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NICE tie in to the other thread Midwest!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Dang......their QB is looking pretty good. I think IF we can get some pressure on him, we will be ok. But if he has all day to throw, we are in trouble.
I'm HOPING we can win this one going into the bye week. Otherwise it's gonna be a LONG 2 weeks.

I must say that I'm a little surprised by the results of the poll. Also feels weird to have anyone worried about us, after last season. A lot of us are just as worried about facing Favre. Many were saying that our coach was coaching scared- before the Lions game. A lot can change in a matter of days.

Here's to an injury-free game.
But,

Redskins 50
Packers 48
*Revenge for the game in '83, this time we'll make the FG at the end

The Packers added guard Junius Coston to the injury report today because of an ankle injury. The injury report wasn't released until after coach Mike McCarthy addressed reporters, and no further information was provided. Coston participated in the hour-plus of practice that was open to reporters and was listed as "limited participation." Also limited were: LT Chad Clifton (knee), TE Bubba Franks (knee), CB Al Harris (back), WR Greg Jennings (shoulder), DE Michael Montgomery (knee) and CB Charles Woodson (foot). Running back Vernand Morency (team decision) did not participate. McCarthy said coaches planned a Wednesday-Friday practice schedule for Morency this week. CB Will Blackmon (foot) and C Scott Wells (eye) are out. For Washington, CB Fred Smoot was added to the injury report

I'm sorry, evan as a Packer fan for over 50 years, I have to go with the Skins "D" in this one.
McCarthy coaches scared.
He wouldn't kick to Hester giving the Bears great field position and he didn't put the ball in Bretts hands in the second half against the Bears.
Mike will get over his fear but not until after the Pack is 4-2.

Click to expand...

I don't think MM coaches scared and would want more than one half where we penalized ourselves to death and started from deep in our own territory.

As he said in his own words that was not a fun half to play call.

Just because our offensive line did not respond and we didn't run the ball effectively against a defense that was giving a defensive front where the run was there in the second half doesn't mean the HC coaches scared.

You can say it was the coach but I would bet to a man the players would say he called it just the way it should have been called. We all knew teams would take Favre out of the picture at some point and that would mean exploiting what they give us another way.

1. Jam the Packers' wide receivers. The Redskins shut down the No. 1 passing offense in the NFL last week, and Detroit was surprised by Washington's use of press coverage. Cornerbacks Carlos Rogers, Fred Smoot (if healthy enough to play) and Shawn Springs should jam the Packers' receivers often Sunday. It will be up to defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to disguise the coverage to keep Brett Favre guessing. Favre looks to wideouts on short hitches and quick slants, so if Washington plays press coverage it would eliminate the Packers' quick passing attack.

2. Pass over the middle. The Redskins face a tall order: A.J. Hawk and Nick Barnett are fast linebackers who play underneath coverage well, and the Packers are a good tackling team that will limit Washington's yardage after catches. Quarterback Jason Campbell is efficient on short throws, though. Most of his 248 yards last week came on screen passes and slants, so he should adjust and look for tight end Chris Cooley down the middle of the field. With another week of practice, recent addition Keenan McCardell could be an asset. He might have to be, given the Redskins' injuries at wide receiver. The coaches hope big-play wide receiver Santana Moss, who sat out last week with a groin injury, will play Sunday and help stretch the field. No. 2 receiver Antwaan Randle El, who left the game against the Lions with a hamstring injury, is unlikely to play.

3. Use a run-pass mix on first down. Redskins coach Joe Gibbs loves to run on first down to limit the number of third-and-long situations. Washington had a perfectly balanced first-down attack last week, running the ball 15 times and throwing it 15 times. The Packers can generate good pressure with their front four, so Washington should benefit from not adhering to a particular trend on first down. A balanced attack should hinder defensive end Aaron Kampman's pass rush off the corner against right tackle Todd Wade.

Packers Keys For Success

1. Use three- and four-receiver sets. Favre is at his best when the Packers spread the field and he throws to a lot of different receivers. The emergence of young wide receivers Greg Jennings and James Jones and tight end Donald Lee gives Favre more targets to complement Donald Driver, although the rookie Jones will have to rebound from a rough showing against the Bears. The Redskins will try to jam Green Bay's receivers the same way they did against Detroit, but press coverage will put tight ends Lee and Bubba Franks man-to-man against linebackers. Running backs DeShawn Wynn and Vernand Morency will have openings underneath from four-receiver formations. The speed of linebackers Rocky McIntosh, London Fletcher and Marcus Washington will be critical to covering the tight ends and backs. (Note: Washington, if able to play, could be slowed by a hamstring injury.)

2. Establish the run. Wynn and Morency ran well early last week against Chicago but struggled in the second half. The rushing game is important in keeping the ball away from the Redskins. Washington is not a come-from-behind team because it causes the offense to break from a safe game plan. A solid running game would open up things for the passing game and create easier third-down passing opportunities for Favre. The anticipated absence of center Scott Wells, who sustained an eye injury last week, will make it more difficult for the Packers to run between the tackles.

3. Protect the ball. Green Bay moved the ball well on offense against the Bears but helped Chicago rally by committing five turnovers, including a Favre interception that turned the game. The Packers, especially Favre, must play smart Sunday. Favre is a gunslinger who still forces throws into traffic, and the Redskins' talented secondary has playmakers who will capitalize on poor throws. The Redskins' linebackers will try to hold up the ballcarrier while supporting defenders look to strip the ball. Full matchup

Sunday's game: Packers 27, Redskins 17
Comment: The Packers have to protect the football better. There is NO excuse for 5 turnovers like Green Bay had against the Bears. TE Chris Cooley has to be covered better than the Packers covered the Chicago tight ends. The Redskins have perhaps the best set of hard hitting safeties in football, so ball security has to be a priority. The Packers have to re-establish the Lambeau Field home field advantage after their meltdown vs. the Bears.

Tyler Dunne, Correspondent/Rookie pundit

Sunday's game: Redskins 24, Packers 23
Comment: Through the first five games, Green Bay caught teams at the best time. Sunday they're catching a 'Skins team on a warpath. Last week the Redskins sacked statistical juggernaut Jon Kitna five times, forced two interceptions, and outgained Detroit by 222 yards in a 35-0 wipeout. Washington isn't spectacular, rather solid in every aspect. Heady third-year quarterback Jason Campbell is evolving into more than a caretaker and Clinton Portis has shown flashes of his '03 self. This will be a very entertaining, tight game between two young teams becoming NFC powers.

Steve Lawrence, Correspondent

Sunday's game: Packers 16, Redskins 13
Comment: This is the toughest test of the year, and this game should really shed some light on whether this is a playoff team. Sometimes, a loss is a good thing, and I think that was the case against the Bears. As long as the Packers listened and learned from what happened last week, they'll eke out a last-minute win.

W. Keith Roerdink, Correspondent

Sunday's game: Pack 27, Skins 17
Comment: The Skins are coming on strong behind quarterback Jason Campbell. But the second half collapse against the Bears will be all the motivation the Packers need for this week. Look for them to try to re-establish the running game, but also exploit a talented, but young safety tandem in Sean Taylor and rookie LaRon Landry, through the air.

Jay Royle, Publisher

Sunday's game: Redskins 27, Packers 17
Comment: I think this Sunday will be a real measuring stick for the Packers because of last Sunday night’s complete meltdown with turnovers and everything else. I think they respond without any turnovers, but unfortunately the Redskins are playing well and I think the once 4-0 Packers fall to 4-2 and what was once all smiles gets a little worrisome.

Harry Sydney, Correspondent

Sunday's game: Washington 24, Green Bay 17
Comment: This is a hard game to pick because you don't know what team will show up. Saying that I think the Redskins might be the most complete team that Green Bay will face up to this point. So I think the Packers will struggle because of the Skins’ defense.

Todd Korth, Managing Editor

Sunday's game: Redskins 20, Packers 16
Comment: In the NFL, it’s all about when you play a team, and not so much who you play. Washington dominated Detroit last Sunday and is playing well in all three facets – offense, defense and special teams. The Packers struggled on offense in the second half of their loss to the Bears, and now face the top defense in the NFC that plays a similar defense as the Bears. Not good for the Pack.

Tom Andrews, Correspondent

Sunday's game: Packers 24 Redskins 17
Comment: No doubt, the Redskins will present a formidable challenge to the young Packers. They have a steady young quarterback, Jason Campbell, leading a ball control offense that also features running back Clinton Portis and explosive wide receiver Santana Moss. Moss is coming back from a groin injury and didn't play last week against Detroit. Joe Gibbs has his defense playing well, too. They're tough to gain yards against and they can bring the heat against the quarterback (they sacked Lions QB Jon Kitna five times last week). Still, I look for the Packers to bounce back at home after giving a game to the Bears in front of a national audience last Sunday. If the Packers stop shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers and can build on the modest success they had against Chicago with the running game, they should be able to turn back the Redskin threat and gain pleasant entry into Bye Week.

Matt Tevsh, Correspondent

Sunday's game: Packers 20, Redskins 17
Comment: Packers' fans will forget about the Bears loss with a hard-fought win against the Redskins. Look for the Packers' defense to slow down Jason Campbell and shut down Clinton Portis.

Doug Ritchay, Correspondent

Sunday's game: Packers 21, Redskins 20
Comment: The Packers' loss last week makes this week interesting. How do they respond against a good Redkins team? The Bears' loss was tough to take, because it could've put the Bears four games behind the Packers. Still, in a 16-game season you can't lool like a Mercedes every week. Once in a while, you will look like a junker. The Packers can't possibly give the game away again like last week, but I think we all realize this team is only good, not great. With that in mind, the Packers edge Washington.